


If you just stopped lying to yourself

by AbsolutelyLiviD



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Angst, F/M, I suck at writing fluff so here you go, Pining, Why are all my works so angsty, freeform detective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25937119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsolutelyLiviD/pseuds/AbsolutelyLiviD
Summary: When the detective is (yet again) in a hospital bed, Nate corners Adam about the future and what it holds for them.
Relationships: Adam du Mortain & Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell, Detective/Adam du Mortain, Female Detective/Adam du Mortain
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	If you just stopped lying to yourself

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. Staring at him in silent pleading. In that moment, the mission was far from his mind because the only thing he could think about was making sure she was safe.

She wasn't. And the most horrifying thing was that it was worthless because he was too late. He was closer to the one they were supposed to save; he had time to save her. But he didn't because the detective had wormed herself into the very forefront of his brain no matter how hard he fought it.

He'd been too late to save her. So now he was sitting in a chair beside her hospital bed, his heart breaking all over again at the sight of her hurt.

"She's going to be okay," Nate announced, returning from his talk with the nurse in the adjacent room. Adam relaxed his grip on the arm of the chair, but only slightly.

"How long...will she be unconscious?" Nate shook his head and the simple gesture was all the more terrifying.

"They don't know yet. She has...quite a bit of head damage. She might be disoriented when she wakes up, or even forget some things."

Even though Adam was so unfamiliarly and utterly _scared,_ he forced himself to remain calm. "Of course. That is only logical."

He needed to get out of that room because he was suffocating with the weight on his shoulders, but he couldn't bring himself to move from her side. She looked so peaceful, even with the fresh bruises littering her skin.

Nate sighed, breaking Adam out of his reverie. "If only you looked at her that way when she was awake. I think that would make both of your lives much easier."

He instinctively wanted to deny it, to tell his oldest friend that the concern shining in his eyes was only because she was his team member. But he was tired of pretending. So instead, he just slumped over, resting his head in his hands. "I cannot." And as much as he detested it, those single words were knives to his heart.

Nate placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "The only thing stopping you is yourself. You must know she feels for you too. Why can't you just give her what she and _you_ want more than anything else?"

Adam knew that must have seemed easy to him. But it wasn't. "She's human. And I'm a vampire. It would only bring grief, in the end."

"Don't you think the happiness before the end would be worth it? Instead of the pain you're both living in now, trying to deny what you so clearly feel."

Adam raised his head just enough to peer up at Nate. "Don't you get it? How could I ever go back to this life, knowing that she's _gone?"_ Simply thinking about it made his heart hurt. "It's better if I never indulge the possibility of something more."

Nate sighed again. "She would do it for you, you know."

"Do what?"

"The transformation. You haven't seen the way she looks at you when you're looking away. Was she given that choice, she would take the chance to stay with you forever without any doubt."

"The transformation is _dangerous,_ Nate. What if it went wrong? I couldn't possibly live with the knowledge she died for me. It's not worth it. _I'm_ not worth it."

Nate shrugged, but a sad smile curved his lips. "Maybe not in your eyes. But I can assure you; she would think that you're worth everything. Besides, it would be her choice. Not yours."

Adam dragged a hand through his hair frustratedly. "I know! That's why I can't let her think that choice is a possibility. I...I can't risk her like that." The last words were almost whispered.

Then he pushed himself up. "I have to go. Will you keep an eye on her?"

Nate simply nodded, but when Adam turned to leave, he spoke softly. "You can't keep doing this."

Adam paused in the doorway, but didn't turn around. Nate continued, "You don't see her pained confusion every time you turn away in the last second. One day you tell her she is everything and the other you act like she's nothing to you."

Adam stiffened. _How did he know that?_ As if hearing his unspoken question, Nate clarified, "She asked me what it meant right after visiting you. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Point is, if you keep this up, eventually she's going to grow tired and seek out someone who isn't afraid of loving her. I don't want that to happen, and I know you don't either. So...you need to stop lying to yourself. It will only end in heartbreak."

Adam headed out before Nate could say anything else, but his words were etched into his mind, cutting deeper with each repeat.

**Author's Note:**

> My detective is smashing that button if we get a epilogue "become a vampire" option and that's final.


End file.
